I recently contacted Billabong about a shirt I bought from them a couple days ago. I must admit that I am surprised to have received an actual response from them.

Apparently Billabong thinks it’s a good idea to copyright the emails they send. I’m not sure if that’s actually possible under copyright law, but given its draconian state, I’m going to be safe here and just summarize their part of the conversation. Here’s the first email I sent them, minus my personal contact information:

I recently bought a Billabong shirt, only to ruin it while ripping out
the tag. I know, I probably should have been patient, suffered quietly
through the day, and then removed it properly at home with a seam
ripper. But I didn’t, because it was like a knife stabbing me in the
side. I don’t know who first thought it would be a good idea to
torture customers with plastic blades placed inside the shirts they
buy, but it is ridiculous and I suggest that it be stopped. You are
perfectly capable of printing information directly onto the shirts you
make, or - God forbid - leaving the information out entirely. I would
rather guess at the size of a shirt than have a tag.

Don’t take this the wrong way. I love what you make. I just hate the
tags. Please get rid of them. I won’t say I will refuse to buy your
products otherwise, but you must realize that I will put other
companies who have already eliminated tags at a higher priority. I
will buy their products first when given a close choice. These tags
are losing you money. Get rid of them, please.

Thanks,

[my contact information]

The response I received thanked me for the email, but said that in order to fulfill customs requirements, the shirts have to have tags. Customs apparently want the shirt’s origin, size, etc. This is understandable - you know how that works, importing and exporting. Both governments want to keep tabs on what goes in and out of the country. And so this representative sadly explains that little can be done about the problem. But still, those tags are miserable, so I had to respond:

I appreciate the response, but I must disagree. Such requirements are easily filled by printing the information directly onto the shirts. This eliminates the need for tags - making all of your customers more comfortable in your clothes - and fulfills customs requirements.

Even if this were not so, at the very least, tags could me made to easily separate from the shirts themselves. There is no reason for them to be embedded in an important shirt seam.

Even barring that solution, tags could be made more comfortable. The shirt itself is wonderful to wear. Use the same fabric to make the tag, or use any soft fabric as opposed to whatever sort of petroleum-based product that you appear to be using right now. I’m not sure what material the tags currently use, but it is very uncomfortable, necessitating either the removal of the tags upon purchase, or purchasing from a different company - for example, Old Navy sells some if not all of its shirts with the tag printed directly onto the shirt, where a tag would normally be sewn in. I know this because on my lap right now is an Old Navy shirt that I bought specifically because it had no tag whereas the other shirts I considered while shopping did.

I must repeat that I really love your products. I would be delighted to see innovation in the only aspect of them that I think needs work. Again, thank you for your response and for taking the time to read this feedback.

[my contact information]

I sent this just today. I hope to get another response. I hope even more that Billabong will do something about these tags, because I do love the clothing they make, but I also detest the scratchy tags, and the frayed or ripped seams that often result when I act on this sentiment.

March 27 Update: Over two weeks later, and no response. I suppose this is also where it ends. Billabong, it seems, will keep their tags. Boo. In other related news: I just bought five shirts from Old Navy, and none of them have tags! YES!

From The Washington Post (although I had to check to make sure it wasn’t The Onion):

One man did take on Obama repeatedly. Romney, in a carefully crafted address late Friday that sounded like a practice run for a 2012 presidential stump speech, began with conciliatory words for the new president before his rhetoric sharpened, culminating in standing ovations and one brief eruption of “USA! USA! USA!”

I lol’d. Seriously.

Fire flickering through the dark as I write, pen in hand, paper in lap, tea hot and resting in the crook of my crossed legs, sitting on the bed with covers beneath and pillow behind, the smell of candles burning. Not really resting.

Relaxed from the shower and clothes fresh from the dryer and warm against my skin, feeling for a moment like mine next to yours, to you whom I love, whom I need, whom I crave with every wish that is mine to breathe.

You, alone somewhere perhaps as I - you so lovely, so loved, oblivious, and I - I alone, dying for lack of the nourishment that is your face, that is your voice and your smile; the life that is your eyes, your lips, curved, so soft, so lovely, so waiting.

Please be soon.

Didn’t quite make it to the site of awesome photography. This is Matt, my fellow cameraman (although he does much more than just cameras).

It was a nice day out for walking.